I was talking to a friend about anxiety. She said that she understood I turned to God, but did I have any techniques I used for dealing with anxiety. I told her that in many religions, spiritual circles, and mystical studies, there’s an idea of being grounded. It’s the idea of being totally present in the current moment and feeling totally present in the space that you are in. One of the ways that a person can do that is to go outside and walk in grass barefoot. It makes them really pay attention to the earth beneath their feet. Another way is to get a compass and orient themselves to the four directions of north, south, east, and west. Using a watch and orienting themselves to the rising or setting of the sun or even the phases of the moon would make a person feel in tune with the time of the natural world.
The only problem is that when someone is having a panic attack. I have found it is very difficult to ground myself at all. Time seems to slow down and every second seems to last for years. It is difficult to orient myself to anything because the anxiety seems to overwhelm my senses. I have found that everyone has to find something to help them ground themselves. I have many different ways to help me, but the best one I have when I am desperate is cold water. Dunking my head in cold water brings me right into the moment and the place where I am. Taking a cold shower reminds me that I am right in that shower and right in that moment freezing cold.
I’ve been using cold water for almost thirty years to help me when I have anxiety, but today is the first day that I realized that there’s a special significance to it. When Jesus was first baptized, He was baptized in a river and the water must have been cold. Cold water was poured over His head. Whenever I am so overwhelmed by anxiety, the thing that helps me the most, the one thing that I know will always work to help bring me back to the moment is pouring cold water over my head exactly what was done when I was baptized. Maybe it is that my body just needs a reminder of the promise made that day.
My faith saved me. May God’s peace reside in all of our hearts.
